Greta Thunberg Charged for Disobeying Police at Climate Protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged by Swedish authorities for disobeying police orders to leave a protest in the southern city of Malmo in June.

The 20-year-old, who is the face of the youth climate movement, had been protesting alongside Ta Tillbaka Framtiden (Take Back the Future) against oil port traffic. Thunberg is expected to appear at the Malmo District Court before the end of July, with a potential sentence of up to six months in jail.

Greta Thunberg and other climate activists took it upon themselves to physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure, in an effort to take back the future. After succeeding at blocking traffic at the facility, police arrested the protesters.

Thunberg has been loudly advocating for the urgency of the climate crisis since she began her “School Strikes” at the age of 15. Her recent criticisms of government and business leaders for their “unprecedented betrayal” of the climate were met with an even stiffer response.

The youth climate movement has been growing steadily in Sweden and around the world, with Thunberg at the helm. Her charges have brought the issue of climate activism to the forefront of the Swedish justice system. While many of these charges typically end in fines, a jail sentence would be a major blow to the climate movement.